• <E2ttoman’5  ISoarii  of 

CONGREGATIONAL  BOSTON. 

^he  cButeau  of  ^jf^iAAiom, 

o@i6fc  9(ou»c,  9lc«) 

Medical  Work  in  the  Villages  o! 
Southern  India. 

» 

BY 

DR.  PAULINE  ROOT, 

Madura,  India. 


Leaflet  No.  2, 


Issued  by  Committee  on  Junior  Work. 
1891. 


In  Camp  by  Gulf  of  Manaar,  ‘ 

S.  India,  Oct.  19,  1890. 

“ And  when  He  saw  the  multitude  He  was  moved  with 
comp3s.sion/* 

For  a,  week  we  have  been  moving  from 
village  to  village,  teaching  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  the  sick. 

We  began  work  on  Monday,  October  13,  in 
Mr.  Perkins’  bungalow  at  Arrupukottai.  While 
I treated  the  women  and  children.  Miss  Perkins 
told  the  waiting  women  of  Christ,  and  Mr.  Per- 
kins preached  to  the  men  who  accompanied  them. 

It  was  a long,  busy  day ; steady  work  from 
eight  till  seven  in  the  evening,  interrupted  only 
by  little  rests  for  breakfast  and  tea,  and  occa- 
sional visits  to  Mrs.  Perkins’  room,  where  she 
was  caring  for  her  sick  baby,  Kenneth.  At 
half-past  eleven  Miss  Perkins  and  I and  Annal 
(my  medical  assistant  and  Bible  woman)  arranged 
ourselves  as  comfortably  as  we  could  in  our 
bullock-bandy  for  our  rough  journey.  Mr.  Per-  ! 
kins  waited  till  morning,  that  he  might  bring  us  1 
the  latest  report  from  the  baby.  The  first  stage 
was  six  miles  only,  but  over  a road  than  which 
I can  think  of  nothing  more  uncomfortable.  j 

A guide  with  lantern  led  the  way,  and  we  went  jj 
slowly  and  carefully.  Nevertheless,  we  rolled 
back  and  forth  and  slipped  up  and  down  as  if 
on  a choppy  sea.  I do  not  know  what  time  it 
was  when  we  reached  Karankulam,  for  we  were 
too  sleepy  to  look  at  our  watches.  By  six  we 
were  established  in  the  little  mud  and  brick 


church,  and  had  shut  out  the  gathering  crowd 
long  enough  to  dress.  Our  tea  was  taken  in 
the  sight  of  a wondering  audience.  Mr.  Perkins’ 
sciopticon  sheet  was  then  stretched  across  one 
end  of  the  church  to  give  me  a consulting  room. 
While  Annal  and  I laid  out  the  medicines  and 
instruments,  Miss  Perkins  and  the  catechist, 
John,  received  the  patients  and  gave  them  tracts 
with  their  names  and  villages  written  on  them. 
If  I had  been  new  to  the  country  I should  have 
been  frightened,  so  importunate,  noisy  and  ut- 
terly unmanageable  were  the  people.  I decided 
to  turn  no  one  away  if  it  could  be  helped,  and 
from  eight  in  the  morning  till  after  eight  at 
night  we  worked  steadily,  taking  a few  moments 
only  to  run  to  the  catechist’s  little  mud  house, 
where  our  food  had  been  laid  out  on  boxes  for 
us.  In  my  end  of  the  church  there  were  three 
windows,  and  in  front  the  sheet.  You  can  hardly 
imagine  how  annoying  the  maddening  crowd  can 
make  itself.  Around  the  sheet  and  under  it, 
and  into  the  windows,  pressed  the  people,  and  it 
was  more  than  Miss  Perkins  and  her  brother 
and  the  catechist  could  do  to  keep  even  a sem- 
blance of  order.  It  was  hard  to  make  the  high 
caste  people  realize  that  we  were  no  respecters 
of  persons.  They  persisted  in  pushing  to  the 
front,  and  in  declining  to  sit  next  a low  caste. 
Long  before  night  my  faithful  friend  and  assist- 
ant, Annal,  seemed  ready  to  drop  from  fatigue 
and  want  of  food.  We  had  to  ask  the  Father 
more  than  once  in  that  distracting  day  to  give 
us  of  his  love  and  patience  — to  give  us  deaf 


— 3 — 


minds  and  a quiet  manner.  When  I looked  over 
my  book  1 found  I had  examined  and  treated  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  people  1 During  the 
evening  Mr.  Perkins  and  his  catechist  preached, 
and  showed  sciopticon  pictures  to  about  five 
hundred  people. 

Miss  Perkins,  Annal  and  I,  cleaned  up  and 
packed  our  medicines,  and  I sent  a cooly  off  to 
Madura  for  more  medicines.  Then,  shutting  up 
the  church,  we  took  our  baths  and  dressed  for 
the  night’s  journey  as  best  we  could,  considering 
that  the  outside  jreople  felt  it  necessary  to  push 
open  the  blinds  every  few  seconds.  By  half-past 
nine  we  were  ready,  and  I threw  myself  down  in 
the  catechist’s  house  and  went  to  sleep,  too  tired 
to  be  kept  awake  long  by  the  rustling  of  a rat  or 
snake  in  the  thatched  roof  over  my  head.  Mr. 
Perkins  went  back  to  Arrupukottai  and  we  went 
on  to  Paraletchy,  eleven  miles  away,  after  a little 
excitement  in  getting  rid  of  a rat  which  had  made 
its  home  for  the  night  in  our  cart. 

At  Paraletchy  we  were  so  quiet  and  comforta- 
ble that  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  we  were  work- 
ing among  the  same  kind  of  people  which  we 
had  seen  the  day  before.  The  tent  was  ready 
for  us,  and  we  had  only  to  arrange  our  cots, 
chairs,  and  tables  of  medicines.  It  seemed  so 
pleasant  to  have  a home,  and  a place  to  bathe 
and  dress  (though  the  people  would  look  in,  in 
the  most  stolid  manner).  We  began  work  earlier 
than  on  the  day  before,  but  the  people  were  so 
quiet,  and  listened  so  respectfully  to  the  preach- 
ing— came  and  went  so  unobtrusively  — that. 


although  I saw  eighty-three  before  breakfast,  I 
did  not  feel  in  the  least  weary.  We  took  an 
hour  for  rest  — if  one  can  rest  with  every  window 
and  door  filled  with  a wondering  crowd,  and  with 
importunate  women  looking  at  you  appealingly 
as  if  they  feared  they  would  be  forgotten. 

The  afternoon  work  was  steady  and  hard, 
but  the  people  were  good-natured,  and  when 
we  finally  shut  our  doors,  at  half- past  eight,  we 
were  neither  nervous  nor  cross.  The  only  an- 
noying thing  of  the  day  — and  that,  I daresay, 
because  we  are  free-born  Americans  — was  the 
haughtiness  of  the  high  castes,  and  the  humility 
of  the  low  castes.  At  noon  we  noticed  that  a 
large  company  of  women  had  sat  from  early 
morning  at  the  back  door  of  our  tent,  afraid  to 
come  to  the  entrance  while  the  high  caste  people 
were  coming.  In  the  afternoon  I insisted  on 
seeing  these  people  first,  rather  to  the  consterna- 
tion of  the  aristocrats,  who  had  evidently  intended 
I to  monopolize  the  impromptu  dispensary.  My 
i medicines  were  so  nearly  out  that  I feared  an- 
I other  whole  day  would  exhaust  them ; and  as 
Mr.  Perkins,  on  his  arrival  at  half-past  eight  with 
good  nevvs  from  Kenneth,  was  tired,  we  decided 
to  spend  the  night  in  Paraletchy,  and  go  on  to 
Perenalai  early  in  the  morning.  After  a late 
dinner  Mr.  Perkins  went  to  his  bullock  cart  and 
we  to  our  cots,  and  slept  soundly  till  morning. 

Miss  Perkins  and  I reached  Perenalai  about 
nine,  but  the  tent  and  carts  with  Mr.  Perkins 
I and  the  Bible  women  did  not  come  till  an  hour 
I later.  India’s  sun  (Lat.  9°.  5')  is  sometimes  too 


much  for  me,  and  I was  so  faint  as  I got  down 
from  the  bandy  that  I had  to  sit  under  a banyan 
tree  to  recover,  while  Miss  Perkins  entertained 
the  quickly  gathered  crowd.  As  the  tent  was 
not  ready  till  eleven,  we  had  to  hurry  our  break- 
fast and  make  ready  for  work.  How  we  worked ! 
When  nine  o’clock  came  I was,  perhaps,  more 
tired  than  I had  ever  been  in  my  life,  but  very 
happy  that  God  had  so  directed  my  life  that  I 
could  come  to  the  help  of  these  poor  neglected 
women  and  children.  They  had  never  seen  a 
lady  doctor  in  their  lives,  and  their  gratitude  was 
refreshing,  but,  oh,  so  pitiful  ! I wish  that  I 
might  go  and  live  among  them.  They  need  me, 
and  what  a joyous  thing  it  would  be  to  feel 
always  that  one  was  needed ! As  we  were  so 
nearly  out  of  medicines,  we  came  apart  to  rest  in 
the  wilderness  in  this  quiet  spot  by  the  sea.  As 
Annal  and  I packed  up  that  night,  I spoke  of 
the  wonder  that  in  such  a climate,  and  with  rest- 
less nights,  we  had  the  strength  to  do  so  much. 
Her  sweet  answer  pleased  me,  it  was  so  simple. 
“It’s  from  God.  He  knows  where  to  give  the 
strength.’’  And  the  word  came  to  me,  “They 
that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength.’’ 
That  night  Annal  and  the  Bible  woman  had  a 
cart  to  themselves,  and  Miss  Perkins  and  I were 
much  more  comfortable.  We  struck  off  across 
country,  straight  into  the  wilderness,  where  noth- 
ing grows  but  thorn  trees  and  palmyras.  Our 
guide  lost  his  way,  and  for.  five  hours  more  than 
we  anticipated  we  dragged  slowly  through  the 
sand,  till  at  length,  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  we 


— 6 — 


reached  the  desired  haven  of  rest.  That  night 
we  bathed  in  the  sea,  and  Amial  was  so  impressed 
as  she  saw  the  restless  waters  that  bhe  v:ried, 
“I  am  glad  I came  to  see  this  before  I die!” 
I dearly  love  the  sea,  but  I have  known  it  from 
a child,  and  did  not  realize  how  it  would  impress 
one  who  had  never  seen  it. 

Arrupukottai,  Oct.  23. 

At  this  point  I was  interrupted  by  a company 
of  men  coming  to  the  tent  for  a Sunday  service 
with  Mr.  Perkins.  I was  interested  in  watching 
the  faces  of  these  men,  who  had  come  through 
three  miles  of  burning  sand,  and  under  blazing 
skies,  to  hear  Mr.  Perkins  speak  of  Christ.  They 
are  people  with  a history.  These  villages  along 
the  seacoast  are  thoroughly  heathen.  The  peo- 
ple are  childishly  superstitious  and  ignorant.  I 
suppose  the  women  had  never  seen  a white 
woman  till  Miss  Perkins  and  I came  to  them. 
We  found  one  woman  with  a lizard’s  tail  coiled 
up  in  the  hole  in  her  ear  — a cure  for  headache; 
and  we  saw  a number  of  children  with  anklets 
made  of  their  mothers’  hair,  a mark  of  distinc- 
tion to  show  that  the  small  pox  god  had  spared 
their  lives  when  they  had  been  attacked.  These 
people  came  from  the  village  of  Sayalgudi,  three 
miles  from  our  camp,  and  in  this  village  from 
time  to  time  for  two  years  Mr.  Perkins  has 
preached,  and  the  people  have  been  almost  per- 
suaded to  be  Christians.  Mr.  Perkins  could  not 
understand  just  where  the  difficulty  lay;  and  yet 
the  wonder  is  not  that  the  people  hesitate  to 


— 7 — 


come  over  to  the  Lord’s  side,  but  that  they  ever 
dare  to  come  out  from  so  mighty  a multitude 
and  lideutjfy  themselves  with  the  handful  of  the 
Lord’s  followers. 

Last  ■spring  one  of  our  young  men  lost  his 
wife — one  of  the  victims  to  La  Grippe — and 
soon  after  came  to  Mr.  Perkins  asking  for  work 
as  a catechist.  Usually  — so  hard  is  it  to  raise 
money  for  catechists  — a preacher  is  7iot  sent 
to  7-eside  in  a village  until  there  are  Christians 
there.  (If  this  seems  to  you  a strange  thing,  see 
you  to  it ; for  it  is  one  of  the  griefs  in  the  heart 
of  every  missionary  that  there  is  so  little  money 
to  meet  the  calls  for  advance  in  his  work.)  Mr. 
Perkins  has  no  money  for  a catechist  in  Sayal- 
gudi;  but  after  thinking  it  over,  he  said  to  the 
young  man  : “I  have  a village  by  the  sea ; there 
are  no  Christians  there,  but  some  have  been 
almost  persuaded  to  come  out.  It  is  a bigoted 
place;  you  may  be  persecuted.  You  may  lack 
the  ordinary  necessary  things  of  life;  you  will 
find  tio  comf'irts.  If  you  care  to  go  there,  if 
you  will  work  faithfully  and  not  come  complain- 
ing that  you  are  lonely  or  that  you  cannot  get 
food  — if  you  care  to  do  this  for  Christ  — I will  try 
to  raise  the  money  for  your  salary.”  The  young 
man,  Solomon,  with  his  motherless  children, 
went  to  the  place,  and  one  of  the  children  died 
of  small  pox.  Since  then  he  has  married  again, 
and  life  is  made  more  comfortable  for  them  all 
He  had  been  there  but  a short  time  when  word 
came  to  Mr.  Perkins  that  one  hundred atid  thirty- 
six  were  ready  to  identify  themselves  with  the 


-8 


Christians.  As  soon  as  he  could  start,  Mr. 
Perkins  and  his  pastors  went  to  see  the  people. 
They  had  built  for  themselves  a little  school- 
house.  Mr.  Perkins  hopes  to  get  money  to 
build  them  a church,  and  he  thinks  a few 
are  already  prepared  to  become  communicants. 
Since  then  word  has  come  that  forty  in  a neigh- 
boring village  are  ready  to  serve  God  with  the 
Christians.  You  have  probably  not  the  faintest 
idea  of  what  it  means  to  be  on  the  Lord’s  side 
in  this  country.  They  need  much  encourage- 
ment, and  they  need  your  prayers  and  your 
money.  I was  interested,  as  I said,  in  watching 
them  as  the  service  went  on ; for  however  igno- 
rant and  uncivilized  the  people  are,  a few  months 
of  even  nominal  connection  with  Christianity 
works  a wonderful  change  in  their  faces.  It 
was  to  us  a restful  day,  for  reading  and  writing, 
and  talks  together  about  the  little  earthly  pil- 
grimage we  were  making,  its  joys  and  its  trials, 
and  more  about  the  trials  and  joys  of  the  way 
in  our  pilgrimage  heavenward.  In  the  morning 
Mr.  Perkins  had  two  meetings  — one  with  men 
who  are  inquiring  the  way  to  Christ,  and  one 
with  the  men  and  women  who,  having  heard 
that  we  had  come,  brought  their  sick  folk  to 
be  healed.  Miss  Perkins  and  I,  too,  at  opposite 
sides  of  the  tent,  held  meetings  with  the  women, 
and  afterw'ards,  morning  and  evening,  Annal  and 
the  Bible  woman  went  out  to  the  villages  preach- 
ing Christ.  In  the  evening  we  three  went  down 
by  the  sea  and  had  a little  meeting  by  ourselves, 
though  here,  too,  we  were  sought  out  by  those 


— 9 — 


who  asked  healing.  We  saw  in  the  distance 
ships,  and  close  to  us,  over  the  waves,  rode  two 
pelicans.  The  moon  was  silvering  all  the  waves 
as  W'e  walked  slowly  back  to  our  tent. 

Early  Monday  morning  we  moved  our  tent  to 
Sayalgudi,  and  there  had  a quiet,  pleasant  day. 
I prescribed  for  one  hundred  and  twenty- five 
patients,  and  Annal  had  time  to  preach  a little 
and  to  visit  some  of  the  people  in  their  houses- 
This  is  really  the  Bible  woman’s  work,  and  she 
did  it  daily ; but  Annal  is  always  glad  to  pro- 
claim the  glad  tidings  when  I can  spare  her  for 
a time.  The  little  rajah  of  the  village  (owner  of 
over  seventy  villages)  came  with  his  guardian  to 
visit  us.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Perkins  preached 
in  his  house,  and  in  the  evening  showed  his 
sciopticon  pictures  against  the  white  wall  of  the 
house  and  preached  to  the  people.  The  great 
man  of  the  place  was  supercilious  and  annoying, 
scoffing  at  Christianity  and  trying  to  ridicule  it, 
all  in  a spirit  of  bluster  and  bravado ; but 
the  poor  heard  the  gospel  quietly,  and  we  hope 
gladly.  After  the  evening  meeting  we  pushed  on 
six  miles  farther  to  Taragudi,  where  many  from 
miles  around  had  gathered  to  meet  us  — having 
heard  in  some  way  that  we  were  moving  to  that 
place.  One  Bible  verse  came  to  me  as  so  true 
of  our  trip  : “ And  at  even,  when  the  sun  was  set, 
they  brought  unto  Him  all  that  w’ere  diseased 
. . . and  all  the  city  was  gathered  together  at  the 
door.”  All  day,  and  every  day,  we  had  a steady 
stream  of  those  that  were  blind,  palsied,  lepers, 
and  those  filled  with  fevers  and  pains ; but 


toward  night  the  stream  became  like  a river,  and 
as  the  poor  people  came  from  the  fields  and 
places  far  away,  it  was  sad  to  me  that  always 
some  had  to  be  turned  away. 

We  were  especially  impressed  at  IViElgmdi 
with  the  attitude  of  the  Mohammedans,  always 
the  most  difficult  for  us  to  influence  in  any  way. 
Before,  when  Mr.  Perkins  had  preached  .there, 
they  had  ordered  him  from  their  streets.  Now, 
not  only  did  they  gladly  receive  him  and  hear 
his  words,  and  those  of  his  pastors,  but  they 
listened  attentively  to  everything  that  Annal  and 
the  Bible  woman  spoke  to  them.  That  day  we 
actually  saw  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  patients, 
and  then  had  to  send  others  away.  The  men 
were  so  anxious  to  be  treated!  but  I had  so 
little  medicine  that  I saw  only  a few  extreme 
cases.  I had  a feeling  of  wicked  satisfaction 
that  for  once  (probably  for  the  first  time  in  their 
lives)  the  men  had  to  give  way  to  the  women. 
This  hasty  work  is  not  my  ideal  work,  though 
it  does  much  good.  I should  like  to  camp  down 
in  such  a place  for  a month,  so  that  I could 
learn  to  know  the  people  personally  and  visit 
them  in  their  houses.  But  even  in  treating  the 
ten  hundred  and  ninety-sLx  patients  that  I had 
seen  up  to  that  time,  I had  to  walk  by  faith 
rather  than  sight,  for  I have  no  allowance  for 
any  of  this  medicine.  We  were  obliged  to  come 
by  Kaneathi,  with  its  ten  thousand  people 
and  many  outlying  villages,  because  we  had  no 
medicines  for  the  many  who  would  come  to  us. 
On  Tuesday  night,  therefore,  we  came  on  over  a 


road, \ 'ip.  places,  somewhat  like  a plowed  field,  for 
twenty-twd /ailes,  to  Mandapasalai,  to  an  empty 
missidn  bungalow.  Then  we  had  the  luxury 
of  finding  plenty  of  water  for  baths;  there  we 
'fWnd  'a  letter  from  Mrs.  Perkins,  calling  us 
home  quickly  to'the  baby,  and  then  I had  to  turn 
my  back  on, 'scores  of  people  who  had  come  to 
9iie.  ^rom  all  directions  — and  I had  nothing  to 
give  tbem!  Mr.  Perkins,  Annal  and  I started  at 
once  for  Arrupukottai,  and  Miss  Perkins  came 
on  in  the  evening  after  spending  the  day  in  her 
Mandapasalai  schools.  Here  the  people  flock 
in  to  consult  me,  and  we  have  managed,  from  the 
fragments  that  remain,  to  help  a very  few.  To 
most  I have  had  to  say  : “ I will  come  again  the 
last  of  November.  If  you  cannot  wait,  come  to 
me  in  Madura.” 

Baby  Kenneth’s  case  puzzles  me.  I shall 
stay  over  .Sunday  so  as  to  watch  the  treatment 
for  a few  days.  Thus,  not  altogether  as  we 
planned,  has  ended  over  ten  days’  work.  It  has 
seemed  to  me  more  Christ-like  work  than  any 
I’ve  tried  before,  and  we  have  been  brought 
nearer  to  Him  and  to  each  other.  The  word 
which  has  gone  with  me  and  strengthens  me 
I give  to  you  for  your  study  and  help.  We  will 
find  it  in  the  last  verse  in  second  Corinthians : 

The  Love  of  God, 

The  Grace  of  Christ, 

The  Communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


— 12  — 


